A Quick Look at the NHL’s Subban Brothers

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Back on December 8, something happened for the first time in P.K. Subban and his younger brother, Malcolm’s, lives – the two faced each other in a hockey game. When the Nashville Predators took the ice in Vegas against the Golden Knights, defenseman P.K. was on the ice for Nashville while Malcolm started in goal for Vegas. It was, believe it or not, the first time the two had ever played against each other at any competition level.

Considering the NHL (and hockey in general) is known for being a league that is dominated by white athletes, it’s a source of pride for minorities – myself included — to see two black siblings making names for themselves in the sport. While both have taken different roads to get to the bright lights of the NHL, each has proven that they belong in the league. With that being said, let’s take a closer look at the Subban brothers.

Pernell-Karl (P.K.) Subban

Age: 28Position: DefensemanTeam: Nashville PredatorsNumber: 76

Selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2nd round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the oldest Subban brother got his NHL debut in early 2010 before elevating to the majors full-time in the 2011 season. During a somewhat tumultuous time for him and the league – he dealt with multiple contract negotiations with the team as well as the 2012 lockout – Subban became a fan favorite in Montreal thanks to his aggressive play and ability to be a two-way player. In 2013, he tied with Kris Letang as the league’s top-scoring defenseman.

Career Stats

Goals: 79Assists: 261Points: 340Shots on Goal: 1294Plus/Minus: 34

That same year, he was awarded the acclaimed Norris Trophy, given to the NHL’s top defenseman. Despite a wonderful career in Montreal that included 63 goals and 215 assists as well as a positive plus-minus of 35, Subban’s time with the Canadiens ended up being much shorter than most expected. During the summer of 2016, Montreal traded P.K. to the Nashville Predators for fellow defenseman Shea Weber. Both players ended up posting good seasons for their new teams but it was Subban who got the last laugh, as his Predators ended up in the Stanley Cup Finals, losing to Pittsburgh in six games.

Malcolm-Jamaal Justin Subban

Age: 25Position: GoaltenderTeam: Vegas Golden KnightsNumber: 30

Selected by the Boston Bruins in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Malcolm Subban’s career is really just getting started. After four years with the Bruins organization that saw him start just two games in the NHL, Subban was waived by Boston in October of this year. Almost immediately, he was claimed by the Golden Knights and, with the injury to Marc-Andre Fleury, became the team’s starting goaltender in October. He won his first career NHL game on October 15th against his former team, the Bruins, and has played extremely well thus far in his young career.

Despite dealing with a lower-body injury that put him on the injured reserve list for nearly a month, Subban (and the entire Vegas team) has performed much better than many expected. In 10 starts for the Golden Knights, Malcolm has posted an 8-2-0 record with a .922 percentage and a 2.30 goals against average. If he keeps his level of play high, there’s certainly a chance that he finishes the season as the team’s starter over the recently activated Fleury.

Career Stats

It’s clear that the Subban clan has great hockey genes and there’s a good chance that the family has one more brother heading to the NHL in the near future. The youngest brother, Jordan, currently plays for the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL affiliate, Ontario Reign. Like his oldest brother, Jordan is looking to make a name for himself as a powerful, two-way defenseman. Keep him in mind, as you’ll likely see him in a Los Angeles jersey sooner rather than later.